Roller file



May 1953 c. L. BEAUDROT, JR

ROLLER FILE Filed June 14, 1950 R m d T mo m U A E B L s E L R A H C FIG.3

ATTORNEY Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLER FILE Charles L. Beaudrot, Jr.', Hapeville, Ga. Application June 14, 1950, Serial No. 168,083

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a roller file or rack for the support of maps, drawings or other sheet material whereby the same may be compactly arranged for storage on the rack yet may be readily withdrawn and separated for inspection or reference.

It is well known in engineering offices and drafting rooms of every type that the storage of a set of prints or maps has long been a major problem. Various cabinets and displaying de: vices have been constructed together with elaborate filing systems whereby a given set of prints may be reached and opened for reference with a minimum of effort and time. These cabinets have usually consisted of expensive steel cases having drawers which permit the drawings to lie flat; each drawer being indexed in a master reference book. When a drawing or set of drawings is desired, the master index is consulted ing the proper reference to the cabinet and drawer. Such a system is necessarily expensive and has further disadvantages in that the drawings are usually placed loosely in the drawer and if removed are quite likely to be misplaced or become confused with other drawings. Furthermore, the drawing is likely to be re-filed in the wrong cabinet and drawer. Such a system necessitates a special block or reference on the drawing itself indicating the proper file in which the drawing is to be placed, all of which adds to the time and expense against the draftsman. If several drawings must be cross checked against each other, orif dimensions must be noted on several views or sheets, the order of the file is immediately disrupted and requires additional time in replacing of the set. Should several sheets be withdrawn which are not needed, care must be exercised in replacing them in proper order back in the file.

'Plans for buildings, dwellings, machines, surveys and the like usually require several drawings to make up a set. The majority of, draftsmen and engineers commonly make the sizes of the finished sheets to conform to the largest scale possible yet small enough to be carried and stored with ease. The several drawings are usually bound into more or less book form with the several 'sheetsnumbered in some manner to form the complete set. The most commonly used method of storing and carrying a set of these drawings is to make a roll of the several sheets so that they will occupy the least space possible.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rack or file for thesupport of drawings and the like which is inexpensive to manufacture 2 and which permits the drawings to be withdrawn from the rack either in a vertical or horizontal position for their inspection.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a rack using a pair of shade or curtain rollers, one roller being used to support the entire set of drawings and the other roller being used to roll the several sheets not being used onto the rack and out of the Way of the other sheets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack for the support of drawings and thelike wherein each of the winding rollers is provided with actuating means which simultaneously tend to operate both rollers in opposite directions of rotation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rack for the support of drawings and the like wherein the drawings, wound upon one roller, may be unrolled from the same for inspection on a table or the like, the sheets not desired for reference being automatically wound reversely upon a second roller.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description when viewed together'with the following drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric View of an embodiment of my invention in a rack or file for the support of drawings or other sheet material.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 rise cross-sectional View of a detail.

' In the drawings, numeral it designates a rectangular supporting plate which may be made of wood, metal orany other material. At each end of the plate are, in this instance, holes i 1 through which screws or nails may be placed for the support of the same on a wall.

Upon the face of the plate are opposed brackets l2 and I3 made preferably of sheet metal and bent in the shapeshown. These brackets carry, respectively, a top and bottom roller l4 and I5. The rollers are the common shade roller type and are provided with inner torsion springs l4, 15', respectively, held at various degrees of torsion by means of a pawl it and ratchet ll. It will be noted here that the pawl has been removed from the upper roller i l, allowing complete freedom of rotation according to the torsion of the inner spring.

The upper and lower rollers are connected by a single sheet of fabric or other material serving as an actuating sheet iii for the simultaneous operation of both rollers. This sheet it maybe fixed to the periphery of the top roller by screws [9 or otherwise. The other end of the sheet is is affixed to the bottom roller [5 by positioning the same over a series of binder posts 20.

In the present instance, the set of stored draw ings consists of six sheets, one group of 3 sheets 2i being outside the rack and the other group of three sheets 22 being shown as wound up in the rack,

Between the upper lower rollers It. and l ii, I have placed an idler roller 23, the ends of which are also journaled in the end plates 12 and It. By thus positioning the idler roll 23, I have made a substantially flat shelf when the actuating shoot; it passes over the idler roll and onto the top roller 14.

It will be noted that the set oi drawings; is.sup-.. plied with an outside cover 24 which completely encircles the set when the drawings are-rolled for storage on the bottom roller it of the rack.

1 nd o he o r l s r ded; t a wi we 25 bi W th: th same ma b p l om t und-posit on; he -item ller 5 t; is p e e at e ch sheet of a et of va-wings being used with the present invention be made oons qutivelr sho t r t n: e ther b. sipn ns w th h be om. he t o ha h n a out upon a table, ordos}; the sheets; will overlap the manner shill m in the drawing. In this or r as ine; spa e hi h s see pon al rawings when viewed from the top, is a reference c ara ter d tify ng he; d aw n or the he t e effix d. a the r l r 1-5, a a ered manne o tomp ishtb sam pur ose In: an e mp e o pa ...o.r. the dev s t itb s lme ls that re e c s neede on men io to a par icular; par of a. ma hine, he drawings of which are mounted: as aset upon a ck. m e a ordin to he eachin o h pres nt ntent on,- Ha ing, not d the et e a th r fer nts: char c er iden i ng h sheet i h t. s t, an. operator pu ls; h a .5 on the outer end of the cover 24, drawing the entire set of drawings from: their Wound position on the bottom: roller 15 ot the, rack. When the sheets of the set are partially drawn; out upon a table T or the like, the operator is able to notefrom the overlapped ends oi the; sheets the-identifying character of the-particular drawing heis. seeking. in the middle of the set, it is readily apparent hat al sheet o e this ar o ne ded for this reference, and; would ordinarily be inthe way of the other sheets.

Vilith theset only. partially unrolled, the operato); takes. the endsof the. topsheets. and places them upon the shelf madeby the actuating sheet passing over the idler roller 23 and forces these ends between theactuating sheet and. the top roller. By pulling. the. rest of the set outwardly he ble. T1 he perates not o y-bri s h desired drawing into full; view, but automatically winds the undesired sheets of the set ontothe top roller, Ht. S'ineethespring of thetop roller tends to, wind it in the. direction of, travel, the undesired drawings are held f rmly upon therollerhi by the actuatin Sheet, l'8;

To re-wincftt;l 1eentire set back upon the bottom ll r the. pe ator simply unlatch s the b om oller howls land thespring of the-bottom use of ans he she ts o h se The As min tha the r w ng s roller not only pulls the drawings from the table '1 but also is sufficient to overcome the torsion of the top roller spring to pull the undesired sheets from their position on the top roll back to the bottom roller Hi.

It will be remembered that the actuating sheet i8, between the two rollers is held taut at all times since the two rollers are provided with inner tor i n. prin ending to. Wind them in opposite directions.

The device is compact and may carry a set of, drawings of considerable thickness or number ofsheets. While not shown in the drawings, the supporting plate it might be provided with olamps or brackets whereby the same might be clamped to the edge of a drawing board or table. 'vl/Thile the shore description is made using a set of engineering drawings, it is to be understood: that any type drawings, maps or displays may be used with equal advantage without departing from the. scopev oi the invention. as. defined by the following claims.

I- claim;

In a devise of the class descri ed, a storage roller springpressed to. wind, upon it a plurality of sheets of sheet material to be stored, means. to, hold said oller in. certain: fine pos tio s. a

oorar, roller connected to said; storroller by lexible strip material. said te1np c airy-storage roller being; springspressed to. wind strip material thercoritu Whenever it. is on;- wound from said storage roller, the spring pressure on. said temporary-storage roller being less. t an. that on said. storage roller, uide. means 'ti-oned in cooperatiue relation to said temperaryestorage roller and over which said flexible stri material passes to. form a shelf, whereby be unwound from said storage roller for examination and the undesired sheets ever-lying said desired sheet may temporariiywound upon said temporary-storage roller by placing the free ends thereof upon said when said desired unwound.

In a device of the class described, a storage roller spring-pressed to windv upon it. a plurality of sheets of sheet material to. be. stored, paw1s arranged to hold said roller in; certain fixed positions, a temporary-storage roller permanently connected tosaid storage rolier by flexible strip material, said temporary-storage roller being spring-pressed to wind saidstrip material thereonto whenever it is unwound from said. storage roller; the spring pressure on said temporarystor-agereller beingless than that on said storage roller, a guide roller positioned in cooperative relation to said temporary-storage roller and over which said flexible strip. material passes to form a shelf, whereby any desired sheet of said plurality of sheets may be unwound from. said storage roller for examination. and tl'ieundesiredv sheets overlying said desired sheet may-be temporarily: wound upon said temporary-storage roller by placing the free ends thereof upon said shelf when said desired'ssheet is unwound:

CHARLES L. BEAUDRQT, JR.

References Cited the file of this patent, UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,937,952 Menns Sept. 10', 1912 1,520,808 Chippendale Dec. 30, 1924 1,535,425. Little Apr; 28, 1925 1,604,794: Sutt0n, 0011'; 26, 1926. 1,952,904.. Bostwiph i- Mar. 27, 1934.

n desired sheet said plurality of; sheets may 

